6: Valuing Diversity in Learners

When learners come into the classroom, they don't divest themselves of their cultural experiences or their linguistic background. They bring all of that with them to the classroom. So it's incumbent upon the teacher to accommodate that wide array of learners.

Learning Goals

How do you accommodate the needs of diverse learners in a foreign language classroom? In this session, you'll review relevant research, observe video discussions and classroom examples, and do activities on working with learners who are at different levels and who have different learning abilities and approaches. At the end of this session, you will better understand how to:

identify the various aspects of diversity that affect foreign language learning; and

explore strategies for improving the learning of all students in your classroom.